Login Or Join

User Login

Joining forces to put the heat on planning system reform

Property Council is making sure that the voice of our membership influences a message being sent to all key decision-makers in Wellington on an issue critically important to our sector – planning system reform.

There’s strength in numbers and we’ve joined with EMA Northern, Infrastructure New Zealand and the Environmental Defence Society to call for a cohesive strategy to drive reform of New Zealand’s resource management and planning systems. And we’re starting to gain some momentum.

Why a coalition?

In our manifesto released last week, we stressed that to allow our members to get on with the job of developing the cities we need, we need to make some pretty big changes to the system that sits underneath our urban development now. For that to happen we need multi-party commitment to doing more than tinkering with existing legislation. We need complete system reform. That is a big, hairy and complicated request so we’re working with a number of parties from all points of view and political philosophies to join our voice and experience together to give that change the best chance of occurring.

When voices from multiple industries, and even traditionally competing priorities start singing from the same songsheet it sends a very clear message for change.

What do we want?

That’s simple. We want a system that ensures our members have a cohesive vision and system so that they can get on with the job of building cities that present and future New Zealanders will want to live, work and invest in.

The answer is not so easy. In our manifesto, we outlined that to achieve success local and central government players need to communicate and align, that more collaboration between the public and private sectors is necessary, that legislation needs to stop working at cross-purposes and that additional funding tools need to be introduced to ensure we don’t continue to be constrained by outdated options such as Council debt and rates. We’ve called for the Government, whatever its composition post-23 September, to begin a broad review covering of the system as a whole. That review must cut through political sensitivities, accommodate the diverse perspectives of multiple stakeholders and provide binding outcomes that will align all parties in our complex ecosystem.

Why now?

We can’t continue with the present uncoordinated inefficient system. The current underinvestment in urban infrastructure, rising housing unaffordability and increasing urban social issues cannot continue if we expect to have the standard of living New Zealanders expect and deserve into the future.

What can you expect?

We’re working with several parties, all with their own mandates and desired outcomes. However, they are all united by the single goal of calling for a broad review of the system. What you can be assured of is that the interests of our members are, and will continue to form part of the message that is going to Wellington. You are part of a once in a generation movement to design the system we need to get on with the job.